A filtering face mask, which is capable of filtering air to reduce the presence of certain substances, e.g., microbes and dust, may find usefulness for a variety of purposes. For example, a surgical mask or surgical N95 respirator may be used in a medical setting (e.g., a hospital or a doctor's office), for the purpose of protecting a patient from disease or other airborne contamination, or preventing the spread of disease from the face mask wearer (e.g., a patient, a clinician or a visitor) to patients. As another example of a filtering face mask, an industrial N95 respirator may be used in an industrial setting (e.g., a furniture factory) to provide respiratory protection to a person working in that setting.
It has been shown that it is beneficial for a medical patient, particularly a pediatric patient, to decorate a filtering face mask before the mask is worn. Whether a filtering face mask is worn by the patient or by a clinician working in the presence of the patient, being able to decorate a filtering face mask provides advantages that include enhancing the emotional comfort of the patient. When a mask to be worn by the patient is decorated, the mask becomes more visually appealing. Decoration also reduces the social stigma associated with wearing a mask, thereby enhancing the emotional comfort of the patient. Similarly, when a mask to be worn by a person other than the patient (e.g., a clinician or a visitor) is decorated, the distraction experienced by the patient while decorating the mask and the visual appearance of the decorated mask worn by the other person helps to reduce anxiety and discomfort experienced by the patient. Some existing filtering face masks are packaged in a three-dimensional configuration, which is suitable for wearing, but makes it difficult to decorate the mask. Other existing filtering face masks are packaged in a substantially flat configuration, but they are pleated (i.e., having folds where the material is doubled upon itself) to allow changing to a three-dimensional wearable configuration, and thus decorations created by a patient while the mask is flat are not preserved when the pleats separate when the mask is made wearable. Furthermore, certain sections of a pleated mask that are visible in its three-dimensional configuration are hidden when the mask is in its original flat configuration, thus, it is not possible for a person to decorate these hidden sections when the mask is flat. Therefore, it is not possible for a person to create a decoration of a mask when the mask is flat that is maintained in its original form when the mask is made wearable.
Furthermore, existing filtering face masks that are packaged in a substantially flat configuration are not easily changed to a three-dimensional configuration suitable for wearing, frequently requiring multiple actions by a person in order to accomplish such a change.
Another drawback of existing filtering face masks is that they can easily be changed back from their wearable three-dimensional configuration to a flat, two-dimensional configuration. This is a problem when the wearer of such a mask is a child (e.g., a pediatric medical patient), since ensuring maximum compliance (i.e., the child does not stop wearing the mask when it should be worn) is a medical goal. Thus, it is not desired that such a wearer be able to easily change the mask back to a non-wearable configuration, as this will tend to reduce the child's compliance.
Lastly, existing filtering face masks intended for use by pediatric medical patients do not possess rigidity that is sufficient to prevent their collapse and contact with a wearer's face when the wearer inhales. This behavior causes physical discomfort to the wearer, and can interfere with the ability of the wearer to breathe freely while wearing such a filtering face mask.
Therefore, a need exists for a filtering face mask that is packaged, and may be shipped and stored, in a substantially flat, two-dimensional configuration that is suitable for decorating, but preserves decoration when changed to a three-dimensional configuration suitable for wearing. Furthermore, a need exists for a filtering face mask that allows a person to easily change the filtering face mask to a three-dimensional configuration suitable for wearing. A need also exists for a filtering face mask that is not easily changed back from its wearable, three-dimensional configuration to a flat, two-dimensional configuration, and for a filtering face mask that does collapse and contact a wearer's face when the wearer inhales.
A device constructed according to the principles of the present invention addresses these deficiencies.